


leaves will grow from trees (everything will be alright)

by hoeunki



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autumn, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Love at First Sight, M/M, No Dialogue, Romance, Spring, Summer, Winter, kind of an experimental fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-10-04 19:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17310557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: donghyuck grows up and finds his love changing with the seasons.





	1. spring - renjun

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is kind of different from what I usually write because I wanted to challenge myself this 2019 to expand my writing. it was a bit difficult not using dialogue, but I'm generally satisfied with the way it came out. 
> 
> but anyway, happy reading! hope you guys enjoy :)

_March 3rd, 2012_

 

Donghyuck is twelve when he falls in love for the first time.

The chill breeze bites at the bare skin of his neck. Donghyuck’s mother reminds him every morning to bring his windbreaker or he'll get sick, but Donghyuck knows that the whole ‘being cold gives you a cold’ thing is nothing but a myth. So off he hops to school without an extra layer, a bright, bubbly boy plucking flowers from bushes as he ambles along the sidewalk.

Homeroom is filled with friends showing holiday pictures to each other, boys complaining about allergies, and girls giggling over magazine photoshoots. Donghyuck takes a seat by the window and eats his kimbap in silence, waiting for the buzz to settle down.

But the hum of conversation never really dies, not after Mr. Seo walks in with a beaming smile. He holds a piece of paper in his hand and announces that there’s a transfer student coming in for the semester. Donghyuck’s classmates whisper animatedly as a small guy with neatly combed black hair shuffles in. Donghyuck sits up straighter in his seat, watching carefully as the boy introduces himself in lilted Korean.

_Huang Renjun._

He says he comes from some province in China, but Donghyuck doesn’t quite catch the exact name of the place because he’s much too focused on the snaggletooth that peeks out when he talks. Renjun takes a seat three rows in front of Donghyuck, and Donghyuck can’t seem to look away for the entirety of two periods.

 

Their first proper interaction happens after school on a lazy afternoon. Donghyuck likes to work in the peace of an empty classroom instead of his bedroom, so he often goes to claim uninhabited rooms after the last bell rings for the day. On that particular day, Donghyuck opens up a window, letting the pollen-scented air waft into the space around him as he reads over his history textbook. He's halfway through his second chapter when he hears a silvery voice amongst the chirping birds. Curious, Donghyuck peeks out the window and is pleasantly surprised by the view of a boy, sitting under the large cherry blossom tree near the football field, with a book in his lap. He sings to himself, absentmindedly fiddling with the grass beside him. Donghyuck watches, entranced, as the transfer student performs effortlessly, passionately, as if nobody's watching.

Except there is someone watching, someone who claps with vigor when Renjun's done singing. The boy's head whips around fast, his eyes wide like a deer in the headlights when he spots Donghyuck waving through the window. Donghyuck gives him an honest compliment, and there's something about the bashful smile on the Chinese boy's face that sticks in Donghyuck's mind until the late hours of the night. There's a feeling in his stomach that he can't digest, something not entirely unpleasant, but he decides to sleep it off anyway.

They become friends after Donghyuck approaches him the next morning and asks him to eat lunch on the roof together. It becomes a sacred place for them; they spend many an afternoon up by the railings, doing homework, people-watching, throwing paper planes and seeing how far they fly. Donghyuck notices that he feels happier around Renjun, and wonders if it's normal for his heart to skip a beat whenever they make eye contact in class.

Renjun is a mystery. He’s sharp on the edges, words dripping with sarcasm as he bites back at Donghyuck. He’s also soft and delicate, like the curve of a flower petal. His duality is intriguing, if not a little amusing at times. Donghyuck, like an immature child, pulls on Renjun’s metaphorical pigtails because he loves seeing the tips of his ears turning pink in frustration. He flicks Renjun’s shoulder when he passes by his desk, knowing that Renjun will eventually counter it with an equally petty move.

Somewhere between the banter and the hushed conversations under pillow forts, Donghyuck finally has a realization that he cares for Renjun in a non-platonic way. He doesn't remember the exact moment he falls in love, but it doesn't really matter. Every moment with Renjun becomes brighter, happier, and all of a sudden the flowers smell sweeter and the pollen seems less irritating.

Like spring itself, Renjun is peaceful. He keeps the windows open in his living room and puts the radio on. He likes puzzles and board games that require strategy and skill. Donghyuck takes him out to the countryside to pick strawberries, and even though he doesn't say much, he jumps in with an opinion when there's a lapse in conversation.

Renjun finds joy in small and elegant things: drinking tea under the windchimes, picking flowers for a bouquet, making lanterns from scratch. He teaches Donghyuck how to love the world, but Donghyuck finds himself falling deeper for Renjun instead.

And so time passes, as it does, without any regard for slowly blossoming emotions of a young twelve year old. Renjun came so suddenly into Donghyuck's life and leaves just as fast, like cascading cherry blossoms in the spring breeze. By the end of the semester, he bids Donghyuck farewell with a hug and a pinky promise to stay in touch.

It's enough, just barely enough, to soothe Donghyuck's broken heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you thought! or maybe even guess who the next boy is heheh. I put the tags out of order (or did I?) so I wouldn't spoil it. 
> 
> leave a comment or hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


	2. summer - jeno

_ July 10th, 2015 _

 

Jeno is stunning. 

He's all eye smiles and pearly teeth when Donghyuck first meets him at a beach resort in Busan, at the reception area where he passes by wearing a half buttoned floral shirt and some khaki shorts. 

His white blonde hair catches not only Donghyuck's, but every young teenager's eyes as he walks through the open space, taking long strides with his hands in his pockets. The way he moves tells Donghyuck that he  _ knows _ how good he looks, and the tanned boy blinks in surprise when the mysterious guy lets his gaze linger on him for an extra few seconds. 

When Donghyuck's mother calls his name, he snaps out of his trance. He didn't realise how fast his heart was beating. 

 

Their second encounter happens underneath the scorching sun, on the sand where Donghyuck's enjoying the weather and soaking up the rays. The light behind his eyelids dim and he opens his eyes to see a figure looming over him. 

The boy from the reception stands next to his beach towel, digging his toes into the ground and twisting his feet this way and that. Donghyuck's attention is immediately drawn to the boy's outfit: a sleeveless shirt and swimming trunks, and all Donghyuck can focus on is how nice his biceps are. 

He introduces himself as Lee Jeno (what an interesting name, Donghyuck thinks) and asks if he can place his own towel next to Donghyuck's. The Jeju native gives a him a curt nod, shifting his towel over slightly even though there’s no reason to do so - the rest of the beach is strangely unoccupied. 

In contrast to the cool, assured aura that he radiated in the lobby, Jeno is the exact opposite now. He sits while hugging his knees to his chest, staring out at the ocean with a faraway look in his eyes. He seems shy, pensive, a little tired. Donghyuck doesn’t say anything, not wanting to disturb Jeno’s little bubble, so he lies back onto his scratchy towel and closes his eyes. He hears the waves as they lap up against the shore, the crescendo before each splash, and the beat of silence before another wave comes rushing in. Donghyuck feels droplets against his feet and envisions the water in his mind, the endless pulling and pushing. He wonders if Jeno hears the ocean the same way he does. 

 

Jeno apologises the next time he meets Donghyuck, which happens to be at a beach bar. He says sorry for being so awkward during their first meeting to which Donghyuck laughs off. Everyone has those moments where they just need to sit and let the world pass them by, Donghyuck tells him. 

Jeno smiles, his eyes disappearing into crescents, and Donghyuck feels his heart stutter. Jeno doesn’t seem to notice the effect he has on Donghyuck, smoothly offering to buy him a drink (non-alcoholic, because Jeno’s a responsible teen), and the night goes on from there. 

 

Summer brings a warmth to Donghyuck’s life that embodies itself in Jeno. He’s excitable, curious, always wanting to go around and explore a different cave, a different alcove. He loves lighting up sparklers and dancing around with them, loves campfires and barbeques and melting marshmallows until they drip into his mouth, all gooey and sweet. Jeno takes Donghyuck to a nearby music festival and they lose themselves in the sweat and the thump, thump, thump of the bass (it’s one of the best afternoons of Donghyuck’s life). 

But Jeno is mostly mellow, like the weather on a balmy summer afternoon. He’s full of lame jokes and picks half-broken seashells off the coast to admire them. His favorite feeling is the sensation of cold sand between his toes. Whenever a cat passes by, he'll stop to pet it, and it endears Donghyuck greatly.

Jeno teaches Donghyuck how to climb out of a window without making a sound, and together they spend midnights by the beach, stargazing or licking popsicles. 

They share their first kiss under the watchful eyes of the stars, and it tastes like raspberry sorbet.

 

Donghyuck and Jeno’s romance is like a firework display: colorful, magical, breathtaking. Jeno’s touches burn into Donghyuck’s skin when they kiss and his mind lights up whenever he sees Jeno smile. But like all fireworks, the silence that follows after leaves a lingering feeling of regret, of wanting more out of something that was never meant to last. They valiantly try to keep the burning match alive for as long as they can, but the distance and the stress of high school becomes a barrier that becomes harder and harder for the both of them to overcome. 

A year after the Skype calls stop completely, Donghyuck looks back on that summer fling with a fond smile. His brother tells him that he’s young, that there will be more guys in the future. 

Donghyuck takes his words to heart and hopes for the best. 


	3. autumn - jaemin

_ September 22nd, 2017 _

 

Donghyuck didn’t think he was the type to fall for those typical, doe-eyed smiley guys with manhwa-worthy looks and great personalities. He certainly didn’t think that any of them would be remotely interested in him. 

So when Na Jaemin, Donghyuck’s fellow part-time barista buddy with the charming eyes and the beautifully toothy smile, asks him out on a date during a closing shift one afternoon, Donghyuck nearly drops a coffee pot on his foot. The only thing that keeps him together is the hopeful, slightly apprehensive look in Jaemin’s eyes and the calloused hand that grips his wrist.

_ It’s not a joke,  _ Donghyuck realises, barely managing a noise of affirmation. Jaemin smiles blindingly bright and promises to pick him up the next day at five o’clock sharp. 

Their first date is a picnic under a sky of periwinkle and coral, on the top of a small hill near Jaemin’s apartment. Donghyuck is surprised to see the feast laid out for them: rolled omelettes, a plastic container with various  _ kimbap _ , potato salad, and a strawberry-rhubarb pie. He’s even more shocked when Jaemin reveals that he cooked everything. 

Jaemin laughs modestly when Donghyuck compliments him but by the end of the evening, there’s not a single crumb left on their plates. Donghyuck lets Jaemin walk him to the train station, where he leaves a thank you kiss on his coworker’s cheek. It’s the first time he sees Jaemin blush. 

 

Dating Jaemin is like a dream. 

He’s funny and thoughtful, always the one to hold the door open or to pull a chair out for Donghyuck to sit on. He always offers to pay the bill and never fails to hand Donghyuck his scarf in case he’s feeling a little cold. Jaemin is the type of person that stares earnestly and nods along to whatever anecdote that Donghyuck’s talking about and it makes him feel less boring. He initiates physical affection and isn’t afraid to kiss Donghyuck in public, especially if it makes the tan boy giggle. 

If Donghyuck had to describe Jaemin in one word, it would be  _ loving _ . He sees the amount of care that the taller boy puts into everything, whether it be a fancy work of latte art or a basic dinner. He quickly learns that Jaemin loves volunteering and working with kids, loves sitting them on his lap as he reads them a picture book or plays with their hair. Jaemin is always the first to text in the morning with a cute emoticon, and the last to wish Donghyuck sweet dreams before he crashes at night. He never complains when Donghyuck forces him to take nice outfit photos for his Instagram. 

Jaemin shows Donghyuck all the simple ways to enjoy life. Evening bike rides along the Han River. Walks in the park when the sky is clear. Sipping warm beverages in cafes and watching people as they rush along. That’s something interesting about Na Jaemin -- he drinks the most bitter of coffees but smiles sweeter than honey. 

There are times when Jaemin can be childish. He likes to jump in puddles and toss handfuls of autumn leaves in the air, watching in awe as the wind carries shades of vermillion and amber around him. He pouts like a puppy whenever he burns his tongue on a freshly baked sweet potato and dances joyfully when he bites into a dried persimmon. He has the palate of a kid, Jaemin’s mother would say.

But despite being younger than him (even if it is by two months), Jaemin is a lot more mature than Donghyuck gives him credit for sometimes. He knows just how to comfort Donghyuck when he’s feeling down, never oversteps his boundaries. He apologises when he makes mistakes, and Donghyuck finds that extremely admirable. 

 

When Jaemin breaks up with him on a crisp January afternoon, Donghyuck strangely doesn’t feel his heart shatter into pieces. He suspects that Jaemin’s had experience with rejecting people, because his words are very carefully chosen. His gentle, apologetic smile and the thumb that caresses Donghyuck’s hand comes across so genuine and sincere that Donghyuck accepts it with only mild disappointment. Jaemin tells him that it was an amazing four months, that he doesn’t regret a single moment of it. But it’s clear that they’re going on drastically different paths-- Jaemin will be furthering his studies overseas, and Donghyuck will be taking a gap year. Donghyuck tears up when Jaemin apologises for not loving him enough because he did, Donghyuck thinks to himself. More than he could have ever anticipated. Jaemin showed Donghyuck how to love again, and for that, he’s thankful. 

_ One day, you’ll find someone that loves you the way you deserve to be loved. _

That’s the last thing Jaemin says to him. He’s such an optimist. Always has been. 

Jaemin squeezes his hand and leaves the coffee shop, the tiny silver bell tinkling above the door as it closes. Donghyuck watches as his now ex-boyfriend steps into the snowfall and crosses the street with his hands in his coat pocket. He doesn’t look back. 

Before he disappears completely, Donghyuck realises that Jaemin’s neck is bare. 

 

(Half a year later in a dorm room somewhere in America, Jaemin will receive a parcel from South Korea with a very familiar sender’s address. He’ll open it to find a card sitting on top of a crocheted blue scarf that reads,  _ ‘i used it well, but this belongs to you. good luck in college. and thank you. sincerely, hyuck.’ _ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


	4. winter - mark

_December 24th, 2020_

 

The future is scary.

That’s what he tells his longtime neighbor, Mark Lee, when the older boy discovers him half-drunk, crying on the stone staircase that leads to the alleyway behind his dorm apartment building. He’s cradling two bottles of peach soju and a half eaten rice ball and his phone is almost out of battery. Mark sits by him and holds his hand, lets Donghyuck cry for three more minutes before he vomits down the drain, and then he pulls Donghyuck onto his back and carries him home.

Donghyuck wakes up that Christmas morning with a throbbing headache. On the table beside his bed is a carefully wrapped package with a note on top that says ‘ _my house tonight? mom’s baking that cake u like so much. hope u like ur present btw :) - m’_

He tears the paper off to find a pair of cute orange mittens and smiles when he tries them on.

They’re a perfect fit.

 

Donghyuck’s never been a fan of snow. He doesn’t like when it seeps into the fabric of his clothes and makes them damp. He doesn’t like the way it falls into his fringe and he absolutely _hates_ shovelling it off his driveway. But Mark likes snow. He likes it because it reminds him of his home in Vancouver. So Donghyuck tries his best to endure the cold, attempting to learn how to love snowball fights, building snowmen, sledding alongside children down the blanketed white hills. All for his best friend.

They go ice-skating together that very afternoon, Donghyuck wearing the hand-knitted orange mittens. He doesn’t dare to let go of Mark’s hands for the whole two hours.

 

Mark is warm and gentle. He’s the half-melted marshmallows floating on the surface of a mug of hot chocolate. He’s the lingering notes that hang in the air after the last strum of a guitar. His smile glows like the dimming embers in a fireplace, familiar and reassuring.

He’s easygoing, soothing. Mark reminds Donghyuck of fluffy sweaters, borrowed hoodies, snuggling in blankets on a cold winter afternoon. Curling up by the heaters together. Tracing condensation on car windows. The flushed cheeks you get when you drink a little too much. Ugly giggles at childish things like fart jokes.

When Donghyuck’s parents move back to Jeju after his first year of university, Mark becomes his home.

 

Mark is the first person that Donghyuck comes out to.

It’s not a surprise, not when they’ve known each other since the third grade when Mark’s family moved into the house across the road and he answered the door when Donghyuck came to bring them banana bread. Donghyuck can't even count how many times he’s crawled up the tree beside Mark’s bedroom window at ungodly hours in the night just to talk to him.

How many times have they laughed at their old photo albums together? How many scented candles has Mark burned through while reading books that Donghyuck’s recommended to him? Mark’s dealt with Donghyuck’s emotional breakdowns, his post-breakup rants, his happy tears when he got accepted into his first-choice university. Back in high school, Donghyuck harbored this fear of Mark leaving him, of him straying too far into the wrong crowd and losing his best friend forever. It was a silly thing to worry about, really. Because Mark always gravitates back to Donghyuck’s side. Like a magnet. A planet, locked in orbit around its star.

 

Among the many things that Mark teaches Donghyuck, the most important one is the meaning of love.

Love isn’t a just feeling, Mark says. It can be a lot of things, at all once. Sometimes it’s an action (forehead kisses, waiting for your friend after class), sometimes it’s a few words (a thank you, a heartfelt serenade). Sometimes it’s a slow, deep emotion that takes years and years to bloom fully, unraveling all at once like the petals of a dahlia.

As they lie on Mark’s bed on a cold wintery night, watching an old romcom movie under his blanket, Donghyuck takes one glance at the glasses-wearing man next to him and sees someone different for the first time.

No longer are they children, pulling pranks on unsuspecting neighbors or racing down the streets on their scooters. Beside him is the only person that knows him better anyone, a matured young man who’s willing to go on ramen and ice-cream runs at two in the morning just to cheer his best friend up. Someone that he’s entrusted embarrassing secrets to. Someone that he’d fight the world for.

And with that last thought Donghyuck instantly knows, with an unwavering surety that he’s never had before, that he’s completely in love with Mark Lee.

 

It’s not something that Donghyuck can hide for long. Mark is quick to notice Donghyuck’s odd behavior (the jittery legs, the way he avoids eye contact and the most obvious giveaway, his sudden aversion to skinship) and confronts him about it one afternoon when they’re alone in Mark’s new apartment.

He’s not angry, just a little concerned. Donghyuck doesn’t see the point of lying to him so he confesses to Mark with his eyes shut, not strong enough to look directly at him.

_I’m in love with you, Mark Lee._

He opens his eyes to see his friend, his best friend with the lean body and the wiry glasses, standing there with the biggest, goofiest smile on his face. Mark doesn’t waste a second, stepping forward and catching Donghyuck’s lips in a chaste kiss that tastes like chocolate.

_I’ve been waiting years to hear you say that._

Mark tries to pull away but Donghyuck chases after, pushing forward a little more fervently. They somehow collapse onto the sofa, Donghyuck giggling stupidly into Mark’s neck when they finish kissing. Mark just cards his fingers through Donghyuck’s messy curls, nails scratching against his scalp in a steady rhythm.

 _The future is scary_.

Mark reaches for his hands and slots their fingers together, the same way he’s done it a thousand times before. His calluses are rough against the smooth skin of Donghyuck’s palm. Mark brings their intertwined hands to his lips and kisses Donghyuck’s knuckles, tender and sweet. It’s a silent promise of assurance—that with time, with patience, everything will be okay.

 

And for once, Donghyuck believes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end!! 
> 
> i hope you guys liked reading this fic. it's not my best fic but i'm proud of it, y'know sometimes you just gotta write strange little drabbles to overcome writer's block and this is just a tiny collection of them. 
> 
> tell me what you thought of the ending hehe :)


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